SSC JE Study Material – Books, Sample Papers for Preparation
SSC JE Study Material: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is scheduled to release the notification for the Junior Engineer examination tentatively on November, 2025. This exam is held to recruit Junior Engineers for various Ministries, Departments and Organisations in the Government of India. The application form will be released along with the notification on the official website.
SCC, being a government exam, a lot of competition is expected every year, because aspirants from all over India would be seeking to get an SCC job. Hence, it is advisable that candidates start their preparations at the earliest if they want to stand a good chance of selection. In this article, we provide some SSC JE Study Material, books to refer and sample papers.
SSC JE Exam Overview
Let us take a quick look at the important details of the examination.
Candidates will have to clear two tests and the document verification to land a job as a SSC Junior Engineer. Only on successfully clearing the previous stage, the candidate will be eligible to attend the next stage of the selection process. Before looking at the SSC JE study material, let us take a look at the exam pattern.
Paper-1 (CBT) Exam Pattern
The Paper-1 examination will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT).
This will consist of 3 sections, all containing objective type questions.
The duration of the exam will be 2 hours (120 minutes). For PwD candidates, the duration will be 2 hours 40 minutes.
There will be a total of 200 questions consisting of 200 marks (1 mark each).
0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer.
Subject
Number of Questions
Total marks
General Intelligence and Reasoning
50
50
General Awareness
50
50
General Engineering Part – A (Civil & Structural) or Part – B (Electrical) or Part – C (Mechanical)
100
100
TOTAL
200
200
Paper-2 (Descriptive) Exam Pattern
The Paper-1 examination will be an offline Descriptive Type Test.
This will consist of 3 sections of which the candidates can choose any one section based on the post that they have opted for.
The duration of the exam will be 2 hours (120 minutes). For PwD candidates, the duration will be 2 hours 40 minutes.
There will be a total of 300 marks comprising the paper.
There will be no negative marking in the Paper-2 examination.
Candidates can choose to write the exam in either English or Hindi.
Subject
Total Marks
Part – A: General Engineering (Civil & Structural) Or Part B: General Engineering (Electrical) Or Part C: General Engineering (Mechanical)
300
SSC JE Exam Syllabus
The SSC JE Syllabus will contain topics from each section mentioned above. The detailed syllabus is given below.
Paper-1 (CBT) Exam Syllabus
Sections
Topics
General Intelligence & Reasoning
Similarities, differences, space visualization, problem-solving, analysis, judgment, observation, decision making, analogies, visual memory, discrimination, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, relationship concepts, arithmetical number series etc.
General Awareness
History, Geography, Economics, Polity, Scientific research, etc.
Part A Civil Engineering Syllabus
Building Materials, Estimating, Surveying, Soil Mechanics, Hydraulics, Irrigation Engineering, Costing & Valuation, Transportation Engineering, Environmental Engineering, etc.
Structural Engineering
Theory of Structures, Concrete technology, etc.
Part B Electrical Engineering Syllabus
Basic concepts, Circuit law, Magnetic Circuit, AC Fundamentals, Measuring instruments, Electrical Machines, single phase induction Motors, Synchronous Machines, Generation, Transmission & distribution, Estimation & costing, Utilisation & electrical energy, etc.
Part C Mechanical Engineering Syllabus
Theory of machines & machine design, Engineering Mechanics and Strength of Materials, Properties of Pure Substances, Law of Thermodynamics, Air standard Cycles for IC Engines, Rankine cycle of System, Boilers, Classification, Specification, Fitting & Accessories, Air Compressors, Refrigeration cycles, Principle of Refrigeration Plant, Nozzles & Steam Turbines etc.
Paper-2 (Descriptive) Exam Syllabus
The Paper-2 will have 3 sections that candidates can choose from based on their area of expertise, and the post that they have applied for.
Civil Engineering Syllabus
Civil Engineering Sections
Topics
Building Materials
Physical and Chemical properties, classification, standard tests, uses and manufacture/quarrying of materials e.g. building stones, silicate-based materials, cement (Portland), asbestos products, timber and wood-based products, laminates, bituminous materials, paints, varnishes.
Estimating, Costing and Valuation
Estimate, a glossary of technical terms, analysis of rates, methods and unit of measurement, Items of work – earthwork, brickwork, RCC work, Shuttering, Timber work, Painting, Flooring, Plastering. Boundary wall, Brick building, Water Tank, Septic tank, Bar bending schedule, Centre line method, Midsection formula, Trapezoidal formula, Simpsons rule etc.
Surveying
Principles of surveying, measurement of distance, chain surveying, working of the prismatic compass, compass traversing, bearings, local attraction, plane table surveying, theodolite traversing, adjustment of theodolite, Levelling, Definition of terms used in levelling, contouring, curvature and refraction corrections, temporary and permanent adjustments of dumpy level, methods of contouring, use of contour map etc.
Hydraulics
Fluid properties, hydrostatics, measurements of flow, Bernoulli‟s theorem and its application, flow through pipes, flow in open channels, weirs, flumes, spillways, pumps andturbines etc.
Irrigation Engineering
Definition, necessity, benefits, 2II effects of irrigation, types and methods of irrigation, Hydrology – Measurement of rainfall, runoff coefficient, rain gauge, losses from precipitation etc.
Transportation Engineering
Highway Engineering – cross-sectional elements, geometric design,types of pavements, pavement materials – aggregates and bitumen, different tests, Design of flexible and rigid pavements, etc.
Environmental Engineering
Quality of water, source of water supply, purification of distribution of water, need of sanitation, sewerage systems, circular sewer, oval sewer, appurtenances, sewage treatments etc.
Structural Engineering Syllabus
Units
Topics
Theory of structures
Elasticity constants, types of beams – determinate and indeterminate, bending moment and shear force diagrams of simply supported, cantilever and overhanging beams. Moment of area and moment of inertia for rectangular & circular sections etc.
Concrete Technology
Properties, Advantages and uses of concrete, cement aggregates, the importance of water quality, water-cement ratio, workability, mix design, storage, batching, mixing, placement, compaction, finishing etc.
RCC Design
RCC beams-flexural strength, shear strength, bond strength, design of singly reinforced and doubly reinforced beams, cantilever beams. T-beams, lintels. One way and two-way slabs, isolated footings. Reinforced brick works, columns, staircases, retaining wall etc.
Steel Design
Steel design and construction of steel columns, beams, roof, trusses, plate girders.
Structural Engineering Syllabus
Units
Topics
Basic concepts
Concepts of resistance, inductance, capacitance, and various factors affecting them. Concepts of current, voltage, power, energy and their units.
Circuit law
Kirchhoff‟s law, Simple Circuit solution using network theorems.
Magnetic Circuit
Concepts of flux, mmf, reluctance, Different kinds of magnetic materials, Magnetic calculations for conductors of different configurations e.g. straight, circular, solenoidal, etc. Electromagnetic induction, self and mutual induction.
AC Fundamentals
Instantaneous, peak, R.M.S. and average values of alternating waves, Representation of sinusoidal waveform, simple series and parallel AC Circuits consisting of R.L. and C, Resonance, Tank Circuit etc
Measurement and measuring instruments
Measurement of power (1 phase and 3 phase, both active and reactive) and energy, 2 wattmeter method of 3 phase power measurement. Measurement of frequency and phase angle.
Electrical Machines
D.C. Machine, Basic Principles of D.C. motors and generators, their characteristics, speed control and starting of D.C. Motors. Method of braking motor, Losses and efficiency of D.C. Machines etc.
Synchronous Machines
Generation of 3-phase e.m.f. armature reaction, voltage regulation, parallel operation of two alternators, synchronising, control of active and reactive power. Starting and applications of synchronous motors etc.
Generation, Transmission & Distribution
Different types of power stations, Load factor, diversity factor, demand factor, cost of generation, inter-connection of power stations. Power factor improvement, various types of tariffs, types of faults, short circuit current for symmetrical faults. Switchgears – a rating of circuit breakers etc.
Estimation and costing
Estimation of lighting scheme, electric installation of machines and relevant IE rules. Earthing practices and IE Rules.
Utilisation of Electrical Energy
Illumination, Electric heating, Electric welding, Electroplating, Electric drives and motors.
Basic Electronics
Working of various electronic devices e.g. P N Junction diodes, Transistors, BJT and JFET. Simple circuits using these devices.
Mechanical Engineering Syllabus
Units
Topics
Theory of Machines and Machine Design
Concept of a simple machine, Four bar linkage and link motion, Flywheels and fluctuation of energy, Power transmission by belts, Clutches, Gears, etc.
Engineering Mechanics and Strength of Materials
Equilibrium of Forces, Law of motion, Friction, Concepts of stress and strain, Elastic limit and elastic constants, Bending moments and shear force diagram, Stress in composite bars etc.
Thermal Engineering
Properties of Pure Substances, Laws of Thermodynamics, Air standard Cycles for IC engines, Rankine cycle of steam, Boilers; Classification; Specification etc.
Fluid Mechanics & Machinery
Properties & Classification of Fluid, Fluid Statics, Measurement of Fluid Pressure, Fluid Kinematics, Measurement of Flow rate Basic Principles etc.
Production Engineering
Classification of Steels: mild steel & alloy steel, Heat treatment of steel, Welding, Welding Defects & Testing; NDT, Foundry & Casting – methods, defects, different casting processes etc.
SSC JE Study Material – Books for Preparation
Books are the most important study material to gather for your SSC JE exam preparation. We have provided you with a few important books for each topic in the exam. It is best to refer to them, and solve sample papers and take mock tests as well. Let us take a look at the important books to refer to for Paper-1 and Paper-2 sections.
General Intelligence and Reasoning Books
“A Modern Approach to Verbal and Nonverbal Reasoning” by R.S Aggarwal.
“A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning” by R.S Aggarwal.
“SSC JE (CPWD/CWC/MES) General Intelligence & Reasoning and General Awareness” by G.K Publications.
“Lucent Reasoning” by Bhupendra Kumar Singh.
General Awareness Books
“Lucent G.K” by Dr. Binay Karna and Manwendra Mukul.
“Arihant General Knowledge” by Manohar Pandey.
“SSC JE General Awareness Quiz”
SSC JE Civil EngineeringBooks
“SSC JE Civil Engineering Previous Year Solved Papers” by Made easy Publication.
“SSC JE Civil 2019 Engineering Solved Papers (English Medium)” by Youth Competition Times.
SSC JE Mechanical Engineering Books
“Khanna’s Mechanical Objective Type” by Dr. Sandhu Singh.
“Objective Mechanical Engineering (Diploma) Competitive Exams” by G.K Publications.
“SSC Junior Engineers Mechanical Engineering Paper-1” by Arihant Experts.
“Kiran’s SSC Junior Engineer Mechanical Engineering Self Study guide” by Kiran Publications.
SSC JE Electrical EngineeringBooks
“Objective Electrical Technology” by V.K. Mehta & Rohit Mehta.
“SSC Cpwd/Cwc/ Mes Electrical Engineering” by G.K Publications.
“SSC JE: Electrical Engineering – Topicwise Conventional Solved Papers” by Made Easy Publications.
“Question Bank in Electrical Engineering” by J.B Gupta.
SSC JE Study Material – Sample Papers
Solving previous years question papers and other sample papers play a vital role in the exam preparation. Solving the SSC JE Previous Year Papers will help you know the exam pattern, the kind of questions to expect and the weightage on each topic.
Apart from these, it is also advised that you solve SSC JE Mock Question Papers to improve your writing speed, improve calculation time and expect the kind of questions in the examination.
Frequently Asked Questions Related to SSC JE Study Material
Here are a few frequently asked questions related to SSC JE examination to clear your doubts and queries.
Que 1: Is the SSC JE Exam tough? A. The difficulty level of the technical sections of Engineering are considered to be moderate, while the General Intelligence and Reasoning section is considered to be difficult.
Que 2: How can I download SSC JE Paper? A. The SSC JE previous year question papers PDF links have been provided in this article. Candidates can download these papers for and solve them during preparation.
Que 3: Does SSC JE have an interview process? A. No. The SSC JE Selection Process does not consist of an interview round.
Que 4: Does SSC JE have negative marking? A. Yes. The Paper-1 Written Test will have a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. There will be no negative marking in the Paper-2 examination.
Que 5: What is the selection process for SSC JE? A. The SSC JE selection process will consist of Paper-1 (CBT) exam, Paper-2 (Descriptive) exam and Document Verification.
Que 6: What is the SSC JE salary? A. The SSC JE post comes under the B, non-gazette post in Level 6 with an expected salary range of Rs. 35,400 to Rs.1,12,400/- per month.
We hope this article on SSC JE Study Material has provided you with sufficient sources to study for the examination. For further updates related to SSC JE Exam, stay tuned to embibe.com.